Already Buddha

Let’s look at a rose. In your mind imagine a rose. What is the difference between the rose that you are imagining and a real rose? At some point, you saw a rose and then at that time you created an image in your mind. Now you can remember it. The question here is what is the difference between these two roses? Further - have you ever known a real rose? Will you admit that there is a difference between a real rose and your idea of a rose? They are not the same objects are they? So you have an idea of a rose - it is red, it has a stem, leaves, a certain smell. You can finger this mind rose - but you will have to use a mind finger - on a mind body, one could assume. Red mind rose, red real rose? Is a real rose red? Does it exist that way?

Rinpoche said recently that in order to really know a rose, you would have to know all of it. Do you know a rose - a real rose? The rose is part of the universe - it belongs in the universe - and to know all of the rose - you would have to know all it’s infinate causes and effects - this means to know a rose you’re gonna have to know the whole Universe - isn’t that right? Now what about your rose image - can your mind encompass that infinite space? Perhaps. So what is the difference between your Universe and the real Universe?

How can we know reality? Is the only reality we have access to in the world of ideas? If ideas stop - does reality stop?

Have you ever seen a real rose? The rose you have known has been known through your senses - electrical representations forming an image in your mind - eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, mind - but outside of that electrical signal, what contact have you had with a real rose? Is there a difference between your idea of the Universe and how the Universe actually exists? Hmmmm? And how can we know the actual Universe. Well this points to something called before knowing.

Knowing is to know that knowing is not to know.

Or something like that. But to know reality, you can not stay in the world of ideas - to perceive your essence, you will have to go to a world that is beyond ideation - as it is called in the Buddhist books.

I think all of our thoughts, and karma, are connected to this reality. Rinpoche said that our situations are reflections - there is a connection - infact, the reality seems to be the source - the very reason there could even be a reflection of being human - or a rock, or whatever. Reality is the source. But we get hung up on the reflection - on this body ,on this experience - me, my, mine - we get cought up in our ideas - and lose touch with reality. Who of us knows reality? Shift your mind towards this reality. The essential point in buddhism is just a change of focus - from object to subject - from solid object to elusive subject - meaning - what am I? This question is already Buddha. Where does the question come from? It is connected to what is real - suchness.

Follow the question to the root. Then find the root of everything - one reality - one root - before thinking. Des Cart said, “i think, therefore I am”, but if you aren’t thinking . . . then what?